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Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Wolf Richter — Trump’s Order Stops ALL Foreign Takeovers of Large US Tech Companies

President Trump signed a far-ranging executive order late Monday that blocked the $117-billion hostile takeover of Qualcomm by Broadcom, a Singapore-based company, on concerns over national security. This crushed any hopes that remained in some corners of seeing what would have been the largest tech deal ever. But the order was far broader: It blocked all such deals....

Looks like it, Tom. Trump is looking more and more seriously unhinged. He's gearing up for a trade war that will bring out the worst in Germany. Historically not the best idea, and may force Europe to abandon the US completely, which geopolitically speaking is unbelievable stupidity. China is being constantly provoked, is being told to buy American but when it tries to do so is blocked with provocative statements about "national security". Trump's decided to go on the offensive regarding Russia, as if doing so will stop the media's bullshit about collusion. If only Trump was taking orders from Putin!

Other than Netanyahu, Trump's best friend is Saudi Arabia's de facto leader and Salafi jihadi wacko MBS (Murderous Berserk Sadist) and fellow obese ugly bastard. So it looks like he's gearing up for war with Iran, which nobody will sign up to (except Israel and possibly the Marshall Islands, effectively the world) and which Russia and China will oppose to the point of WWIII.

Hopefully Mueller will take the madman out before he ends all human life. Or McDonald's cheeseburgers will be the saving of humanity?

This is surreal anti-OPEC hysteria! Almost all the countries in OPEC are client states. They take their orders from Washington.

Venezuela, Iran and Iraq are "enemies", but you have to look at these three cases carefully. Iran was a client state until 1979: the people revolted against a sadistic egoist who spent the state's money on himself. Washington overplayed its hand. Iraq was a client state until 1990: Saddam misunderstood Washington's cryptic statements about Kuwait. The 2003 invasion made things worse by empowering the most anti-Washington forces within the country, that is to say the people. Again Washington overplayed its hand. Venezuela had always been a client state, but, like Cuba, the US-backed elites behaviour drove the country into anti-Washington forces. Again Washington overplayed its hand. Every country in the world wants to play ball with Washington. The problem isn't the rest of the world. The problem is Washington. Power corrupts, and Washington's power since 1945 has been close to omnipotent. The world is rebelling against the post-war settlement and remaking it into something more balanced.